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I understand your business. I spent over 15 years doing it. I’ve been a real estate agent and a broker. Along with my wife and business partner, we even had our own office. I handled all of the marketing, and we had the most successful team in our market.
To reach that level of success, I created an abundance of marketing materials that proved to be very effective.
It all started with the website I built that was designed specifically for real estate. You can check it out here. One of the first unique things you'll notice is that I "sell" my marketing area with a little history and a few links to promote the "quality of life" one might enjoy living there. Have you ever seen another site that does that? I haven't. Yet, where the property's located is the first pre-qualifier every buyer needs to know before ever giving it consideration.
Some of the marketing pieces I've used include:
Farming post cards: Example 1, Example 2
Keep in mind that when you "farm" it takes more than one contact to even register with prospects. If you don't contact them several times they're not aware you exist. And your mailing pieces have to be timed properly to have any impact. What worked best, I found, was targeting specific homes throughout my marketing area and not entire subdivisions. That way we'll pinpoint each property in your farm. My formula is cost effective and it works.
Customized business cards for the seller to hand out
Are you partnering with your sellers? They need to understand that hiring you is only part of getting their homes sold. They're talking to their friends, relatives, and neighbors about selling their homes. The cards show the first three requirments buyers have to know before they'll even consider a property; where it is, how big it is (in terms of bedrooms and bathrooms, not square footage), and how much it is. After that, all that is important is your contact information. You want them to call you, not your seller.
Presentation book for sellers - Example page
When you set a listing appointment do you assume you're the only agent the prospect is interviewing? (Do we really need to have the discussion about assuming anything?) Do not leave that to chance. Everybody knows somebody who's licensed to sell real estate. That's why you need to stand out from the rest including the prospect's cousin. My team used an eight-page presentation book that included our marketing plan with a call to action.
24 free reports for buyers and sellers: Example 1, Example 2
Have you noticed...people need to know how much you care before they care about how much you know. I wanted people to know I was willing to give before I could ever hope to get. The reports were sent by e-mail or snail mail. Either way, I had their contact information and could get in touch with the prospect.
Flyers for yard-box distribution
Do you provide your clients with custom flyers or just print out the MLS information sheet? I put a yard-box right next to my sign. Every Friday, I would check each box to see how many flyers had been picked up and used that information to keep sellers informed. That was also a good time to check on how many more business cards they needed which reinforced my value as their agent. Nobody else did that. It's crucial, as you well know, to keep communication flowing between you and your clients. Yet, if you don't have anything to report, you might not want to talk to them. This way, you'll stand out, they'll tell their friends, and it will help with your renewals (not to mention, referrals). Make sense?
Client satisfaction survey
What other people say about you is far more important than what you say about yourself, wouldn't you agree? Guess what, so does everybody else. Most clients want people to know how they were treated. With my survey they get that opportunity. By the way, we used a two-page survey but the download is only one page.
I also have a ton of other forms I've used including:
Custom letterhead
While all correspondence must contain your brokerage information, my letterhead features your contact info. This way, you get a better opportunity for a response than by just having your phone number and e-mail address in the signature block.
Pre-listing appointment introduction letter
Ever go on an appointment and you're the only one who shows up? This letter will confirm your appointment date/time and give you an opportunity to include enough information for the seller to not make a decision to work with someone else before you even get a shot at the listing. It's really the smart thing to do.
Neighbor notification letter
Have you ever gone to show one of your listings and discovered that a neighbor down the street has listed his/her house for sale? This letter will introduce you to that neighbor before that happens. Remember, this is a sales business and you want every advantage you can get but you have to earn it.
Listing information sheets
Now that you have the listing you need to get a little information. Wrong - you need to get a lot of information from room sizes to where the closest fire hydrant's located. Use this checklist and you'll get that job done. Also, you'll have all that information in one place in the client's file when a prospect or another agent calls for a showing. And it's something you can fax.
Custom fax cover sheets
When I would get a phone message that an agent had called with a question, I always sent a one-page fax (just the cover sheet) back with the answer. If that agent faxed my reply to his/her client, that person would then have my contact information. Is it a longshot? Yes, but not an opportunity I was willing to miss. You never know when a buyer or seller might decide to go with a different agent. To design something once that will be used frequently is a no-brainer! Check it out.
Guest registry for open houses
I'm sure you've met folks at an open house, shown them the property, and later found out they have an agent even when they told you they didn't. You'll never stop that from happening completely but this should help.
Net proceeds estimate
When you go over an offer with your seller it's important that he/she/they have a clear understanding of what they'll be paid and be paying at settlement. After all, some costs won't be known until the day escrow closes. Sellers need to know that so you don't get stuck paying for half a tank of heating oil - "You didn't tell me!" Plus, showing someone what they'll get is far more effective than telling them. This will help you close more sales.
Well, that doesn't cover everything but I think you get the idea. I understand your business and I want to be your partner.
You can call me at 302-526-8573 or e-mail me at jim@jimrash.com.
Thanks for your time and consideration. Now, let's get started!
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Every business needs a website. So why do more than half of small businesses (SMBs) not have one? Some SMBs say it's too time consuming or would cost too much. And, according to one survey, 75% of small business owners are "sleepless" over finding new customers.
There are an abundance of online website-building sites where an SMB could design its site for free. So the time consumption consideration is at play here. Also, no matter how easy it might be, it's something new to learn and most people just won't do it.
Depending on your requirements, a custom-built website can be very expensive. (But it doesn't have to be.)
The truth is, most SMBs just need to have a simple website that tells who they are, what they do, when they're open, where they are, and why you should do business with them. Does that sound vaguely familiar; who, what, when, where, and why?
I'm building websites that start at $200. And, I'll host those sites for just $10/month on GoDaddy servers.
The most recent websites I've built are for a British Gastropub, the Rose & Crown in downtown Lewes, and a restaurant directory for the Delmarva peninsula, Cafe Delmarva.
Here's one that has several pages and lots of pictures that I built for the band Newspaper Taxi.
Here's my last real estate site. It's very complex with hundreds of pages and well over 1,000 images.
What yours will cost all depends on your needs. I'm ready to get started promoting your business. You can call me at 302-526-8573 or e-mail me at jim@jimrash.com and tell me what you want your site to offer.
Don't lose any more sleep! Let's get started now. Thanks for your time and consideration.
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